Two years on, no road safety bureau despite employee on ‘special agreement’

The Transport Ministry has yet to announce concrete plans to establish a road safety bureau, two years after committing to the initiative and assigning an employee on “a special employment” agreement.

According to a government document published in April 2023, the Road Safety Bureau was expected to be operational by the end of that year.

Sources within the insurance industry expressed concern about the delay as road accidents and traffic congestion continue to rise. They said no formal proposals have materialised since the pledge was made.

In September, the Insurance Association urged the government to proceed with the plans.

In a public statement, the association described the bureau as “a vital component of a comprehensive road safety strategy that has been promised for a long time but remains largely unaddressed.”

Four months later, Transport Minister Chris Bonett again pledged that the bureau would be launched “soon,” stating that government proposals would be made public within the “coming weeks.”

No updates have been issued since January when the minister made the statement.

In 2023, Transport Malta appointed Labour Party election candidate and architect Audrey Testaferrata De Noto through a “special employment” loan agreement between two government agencies.

The agreement, obtained by The Shift through a Freedom of Information request, showed that she was transferred from Infrastructure Malta to Transport Malta.

She was appointed without a public call for applications. The agreement cited her “specialised skills in the field” as justification for her appointment.

De Noto has previously courted controversy. In 2014, while serving as a senior Transport Malta official, she drew public backlash after stating during a television interview that traffic congestion was merely a “perception.” Her remarks were widely ridiculed.

When Infrastructure Malta was founded in 2018, De Noto was transferred there. She rebranded herself on social media as “Perit Audrey” and ran as a Labour Party candidate in the 2022 general elections, garnering 99 votes.

While at Infrastructure Malta, she was accused of using her government position for self-promotion. She was later reassigned to the Building and Construction Agency before assuming her current role at Transport Malta.